“It’s an approach that doesn’t focus on whether the land is federal, state or private land,” says Sherman. “These ecosystems we deal with cut across all these kinds of land. When you look at a watershed or a particular area, you want to focus on all the land, not just part of the land.”

Sherman says this holistic approach to preserving our national forests is key.“There’s what I call random acts of conservation, which are helpful but don’t get to the overall solutions” says Sherman. “The all-lands coordinated approach makes a tremendous difference.”

Programs for urban forests are increasing, according to Sherman.

“There are 193 million acres of forests in the United States, one-tenth of the country,” says Sherman. “And one-tenth of that forest land is in urban areas. These are very important areas for recreation, wildlife, and air and water quality and they make up the backbone of many communities.”

“In places like Detroit and Flint we’re working with local organizations like the Greening of Detroit to provide new vegetation and parks and green spaces that we hope will help revitalize these areas,” Sherman says.

As he moves around the country, Sherman says he’s convinced that climate change is real and having an impact on our forest lands.

“We have throughout the Western United States seventeen-and-a-half million acres of dead trees,” says Sherman. “They have been decimated by the pine beetle and the bark beetle because our winters are warmer.

“Traditionally these beetles would die off in the winter, but now they’re propagating in epidemic proportions because the winter temperatures have risen. When you combine that with drought and warmer summers, you see these vast acreages dying. It’s become a serious problem.”